Peter Bruck: The World Wide Web is an ocean of information flooded with a tsunami of content. But what is quality, which websites have true value add for users? That is where World Summit Award comes in. It brings to Cairo the world’s best e-Content producers who have succeeded in a global UN sponsored competition. With their digital products they demonstrate the richness of content.

What does World Summit Award distinguish from other Awards?

Bruck: In its field WSA is the only global award that takes place in the framework of the United Nations and its World Summit on the Information Society. Moreover it is unique in its focus on content richness. Hence the WSA categories reflect all parts of social and cultural life.

Why is Cairo the perfect place to host the World Summit Winners Events?

Bruck: The WSA follows the UN principle to organize the WSA Events in the main spots of the world where our work is most appreciated and needed. The need for Arab e-Content is quite obvious and we are privileged to bring the best producers and designers from around the world to Cairo for that reason. Among them are products from Arabic producers like Monaqasat, the Tunisian Industry Portal or Erada Portal from Egypt that demonstrate: Arabic countries certainly also generate outstanding e-Content.

You argue that the most important digital divide is the content gap. What do you mean?

Bruck: The content gap reflects the fact that the performance of technologies increases faster than the human capability to use them. ICTs offer more capacity to produce, store and transmit than humans can use, fill, read or consume. Content does not keep up. Moreover we have a concentration on the stars of popular culture and politics in the Internet which reflect the dominant values. WSA breaks the awareness barrier and creates a space for people that are creative and entrepreneurial but that don’t dominate the market place with money.

Why is it important so showcase local content?

Bruck: The internet is a huge integration machine for global culture. It tends to eliminate the differences in terms of language as well as idioms. The main language is English so people can communicate with each other. This is very important. Nevertheless the Internet may not only become a communication medium but also an expression medium. The internet is a crucial carrier and creator of cultural identity. That is why WSA aims to overcome linguistic barriers and the smallness of national markets.